Since nobody in their right mind wants to live eight meters away from a busy train station, <a href="http://www.artec-architekten.at">ARTEC Architekten</a> devised several clever solutions to mitigate noise and visual pollution at the Mühlgrund apartment building in Vienna, Austria. Built to passive house standards, the 7-story apartment complex features a perforated metal skin on the northern side, an indoor <a href="http://inhabitat.com/vertical-gardens-by-patrick-blanc/">vertical garden</a> and balconies shaded by solar screens on the more aesthetically-pleasing southern side.

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Muhlgrund by ARTEC Architekten

ARTEC Architekten managed to create a cozy home environment for this apartment complex in Austria

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Muhlgrund by ARTEC Architekten

Located mere meters from a busy train station, the complex is wrapped in a perforated steel skin

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Muhlgrund by ARTEC Architekten

Inside the building a corridor creates a sound barrier

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Muhlgrund by ARTEC Architekten

A 7-story interior vertical garden is suspended from tension cables

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Muhlgrund by ARTEC Architekten

In terms of energy efficiency, the complex is built to passive house standards

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Muhlgrund by ARTEC Architekten

Each apartment has one room but it's possible to expand into the adjacent apartment for larger families

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Muhlgrund by ARTEC Architekten

Since nobody in their right mind wants to live eight meters away from a busy train station, ARTEC Architekten devised several clever solutions to mitigate noise and visual pollution at the Mühlgrund apartment building in Vienna, Austria. Built to passive house standards, the 7-story apartment complex features a perforated metal skin on the northern side, an indoor vertical garden and balconies shaded by solar screens on the more aesthetically-pleasing southern side.